Telling tales: the development and impact of digital stories and digital storytelling in healthcare

Victoria, Hardy (2016) Telling tales: the development and impact of digital stories and digital storytelling in healthcare. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

Since its inception in 2003, the Patient Voices Programme has been gathering and disseminating digital stories of healthcare created by patients, carers and clinicians involved in delivering and receiving that care. It is one of the longest-running digital storytelling projects in the world and, as far as can be determined, the only digital storytelling project to focus specifically on healthcare. During this time, more than 1000 digital stories have been created. Once released by storytellers, these stories are made freely available by a publicly accessible website for use in healthcare education and service improvement programmes. The aim of Patient Voices was, through sharing the stories of what really matters to the people who design, deliver and receive healthcare, to bring about a transformation, resulting in safer, higher quality care characterised by greater humanity and compassion. I am one of the founders of the Patient Voices Programme. I have played a key role in every aspect of the Programme’s development, from working with the first storytellers and writing the original rationale, to conducting research on the impact of the stories, presenting at numerous conferences, writing papers for publication, facilitating workshops and consulting on use of the stories. Not only has the Patient Voices Programme had an impact on the world of healthcare, particularly in the UK, but it has also had an impact on the wider world of digital storytelling, where the Patient Voices Programme is regarded as the world leader in digital storytelling in healthcare; indeed, I have given a keynote address at four of the last five international digital storytelling conferences. Through an examination of eight published papers and the Patient Voices website, this thesis will demonstrate the contribution that I have made, through the Patient Voices Programme, to healthcare and healthcare education as well as to the wider, emerging field of digital storytelling.